Van Vollenhovens at Red Cross Event

The adult members of the van Vollenhoven family yesterday attended a charity evening at the Carré Royal Theatre in Amsterdam, to mark the foundation of the Dutch Red Cross‘ ‘Prinses Margriet Fonds’ (Princess Margriet Fund).

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The guest of honour, Princess Margriet, arrived with her husband, Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven; three of the couple’s four sons, Princes Maurits, Bernhard and Floris, also attended with their respective wives, Marilène, Annette and Aimée. Also present was Mrs Martine van Loon-Labbouchere, Queen Beatrix’s Grand Mistress of the Robes, and royal reporter Pieter Klein Beernik.

The ‘Prinses Margriet Fonds’ has been set up to honour Princess Margriet, who served as the Red Cross’ Chairman from the late 1980s till December last year. She is currently an Honorary Chairman. The fund will focus on natural disasters, specifically levels of preparedness. It aims to limit the extent of damage caused by natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes by promoting preventative measures.

In a statement on the Red Cross’ website, Princess Margriet said of the fund, “Unfortunately, the power of such disasters does not lie in our hands. But we can do something to decrease human sorrow.” She also added that disaster prevention funding is cheaper and more efficient than funding reconstruction and rebuilding: “It costs one Euro to invest in prevention, which increases to five-ten Euros for reconstruction.”

The van Vollenhoven’s second youngest son, Prince Pieter-Christiaan, was not in attendance at the event, as he is currently in the United States. The Prince’s wife, Princess Anita, is undergoing specialised treatment in the States related to unspecified neurological symptoms. According to Dutch media, the couple and their two children left the Netherlands on Monday, and it is unknown when they will return.